John h



(No Model.)

J. H. TALPEY.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. TALPEY, OF RICHMOND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES H.T. J. SOUTHARD, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,534, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed. June 22, 1892- Serial No. 437,621. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J GEN I-I. TALPEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Richmond, in the county of Sagadahoc and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the end of afreight-car provided with my improved automatic coupling device. Fig. 2is a plan of the opposing ends of two cars connected together by meansof couplings constructed in accordance with my invention, the coveringplate of one of the draw-heads being removed to show the interiorconstruction. Fig. 3 is an enlarged central vertical section of thefront portion of the draw-head. Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of thecoupling hook or bar. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line was ofFig. 3.

Myinvention relates to an improvement on the car coupling for whichLetters Patent of the United States No. 429,180 were granted to me June3, 1890, and has for its object to improve the construction of thecoupling whereby it is rendered more durable and effective, and moreeasily and conveniently operated than before; and to this end myinvention consists in the novel construction and combinations of partsas hereinafter described and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, A represents the drawhead of a railway-car, withinwhich is formed a longitudinal chamber B adapted to receive one end ofthe coupling-hook O, which consists of aflat bar having its ends 10 10shaped approximately like an arrow-head, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5.

D, D, are slide-bars arranged to move in a horizontal plane intransverse chambers a, a, formed in the draw-head, opposite to eachother, the inner ends of the bars D projecting into the chamber B andbeing sloped or curved horizontally as shown. The outer ends of theslide-bars D project through suitable apertures in the sides of thedraw-head, and are turned upward at a right angle as shown at b, Fig. 1,and within these chambers a, a, are

placed spiral springs c, c, which encircle the shanks of the bars andbear against thesshoulders d of said bars and the outer ends of thechambers a, said springs serving to force said bars toward each other,their inward movement being limited by the contact of the upwardly bentportions 1) with the sides of the draw-head.

The chambers B, a, a, are covered bya plate 6 which forms the top of theouter portion of the drawhead and is secured thereto by means of screwbolts or in any other suitable manner, the bottom of the chamber B beinginclined inward and upward to the rest 12 for the coupling-hook as shownto give to the draw-head a flaring mouth in a vertical plane and therebyfacilitate the entrance of the said coupling-hook at different levels.

The coupling-hook O is sustained in a horizontal position or thereaboutin the draw-head by bearing at its bottom on the said rest 12, and atits top against the underside of the covering plate 6, as seen in Fig.3, and on passing into the opposing draw-head, enters between and forcesthe slide-bars D,D, apart until the shouldersfif, of the coupling-hookpass the points g, g, of the slide-bars D, when the latter will be movedinward by their springs c, c, and the coupling-hook'locked to thedrawhead.

The outer end of the draw-head is curved horizontally as shown, tofacilitate the operation of coupling two cars on a curved track, andsaid draw-head is provided with a hole h extending vertically throughits covering plate and bottom to receive an ordinary coupling pin when alink-coupling is used to connect the draw-heads as may sometimes berequired.

On the bulfer-block E, which lies immediately above the draw-head, aretwo bars G, G, arranged to slide horizontally in guides 2', said barsbeing provided with outwardly extending arms or projections which engagethe turned up outer ends I) of the slide-bars D. The inner end of thebar G is pivoted at 15 to a lower end of the lever H fulcrumed at Z onthe block E and extending up through a guide m to the top of the car, asshown in Fig. 1, the opposite bar G being'connected with said lever Hbya connecting rod 71 pivoted to the bar G at 16 and to the lever H at18, the pivots 15 and 18 being located at equal distances from thefulcrum l.

When it is desired to release or disengage the coupling-hook from thedraw-head, the le ver H is thrown over in the direction of the arrow,Fig. 1, by a person on the top of the car, causing the slide-bars G, G,to be simultancously moved in opposite directions, when the projectionsk, 70, will engage the upturned ends I), b, of the slide-bars D, D, andforce the latter apart, the coupling-hook being then free to be drawnout of the head A. The outer end of each of the horizontal bars G, G, isbent outward at a right angle, forming a projection p accessible toaperson standing beside the car,and above and a little to one side ofeach of the projectionsp is a stationary fulcrum pin q, whereby by meansof any suitable short bar or lever I introduced between the saidprojection and pin, as seen in Fig. 1, the bars G, G, may be operatedfrom either side to uncouple the cars without going between the same,thereby avoiding all liability of accidents from this cause.

sis a pawl which is adapted to engage a notch tin the bar G thereunderwhen the bars G G are drawn back, thereby holding the slide bars D, D,apart when it is not desired that the coupling should operateautomatically; and said pawl s is preferably pivoted with sufficientfriction to prevent it from dropping onto the bar thereunder by its ownweight. If desired another pawl 3 may be placed in an accessibleposition on the opposite side of the car adapted to engage a notch inthe bar G.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Ina car-coupling, the draw-head provided with the chambers B and a,a, the spring actuated slide'bars D, D, moving in said chambers a, a,and extending into the chamber B and through the sides of the draw-headand having their outer ends turned upward as shown, combined with theslide-bars G G provided with projections 70, 76, adapted to engage theturned up outer ends of the bars D, D, the

hand lever H connected with the bars G G and adapted to move the samesimultaneously in opposite directions to separate the inner ends of thebars D, D, and the arrow-headed coupling-hook 0, adapted to move thebars D, D, apart to engage therewith, all operating substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car-coupling, the draw-head provided with the chambers B and a,a, and the springactuated slide-bars D D movable in said cham-- bers a,a, and having their outer ends b turned upward as shown,.in combinationwith the slide-bars G G provided with projections 70, 7t, adapted toengage the turned up outer ends of the bars D, D, the lever H connectedbeneath its fulcrum with the bar G, the connecting-rod n pivoted to saidlever I-l above its fulcrum and at its opposite end to the bar G, and apawl 3 adapted to engage one of said bars G or G to hold the inner endsof the bars D, D,apart against the stress of their springs,substantially as set forth.

3. In acar-coupling, the draw head provided with the chambers B and aa,and the springactuated slide-bars D, D, movable in said chambers a, a,and extending into the chamber B and through the sides of the draw-headand having their outer ends turned upward as shown, in combination withthe slide-bars G G provided with projections 70, 70, adapted to engagethe turned up outer ends of the slide-bars D, D, and at their outer endswith projections 19, p, the lever I-I connected with the bars G, G, andthe stationary fulcrum pins q arranged in proximity with the projections1), whereby the bars G G may be operated from either side of the car torelease the coupling-hook C by a bar or lever introduced between one ofsaid fulcrum pins qand the adjacent projection 19 of the bar G or G,substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 16th day of June, A. D.1892.

JOHN II. TALPEY.

In presence of- J. M. ODIORNE, Wm. H. STUART.

